


Clock Hands

by Baccatapages



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Cursed Castiel, Dean Needs A Hug, Dean has a summer birthday, F/M, Lawyer Sam, Lonely Dean, M/M, Mechanic Dean, Violinist!Dean, i don't even know what this is
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-15
Updated: 2018-05-15
Packaged: 2019-05-07 13:03:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,838
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14671655
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baccatapages/pseuds/Baccatapages
Summary: If you like fics about Dean getting shot, loneliness, clock hand codes and flowers, perhaps you'll like this one?Dean finds peace in the most unlikely of places with a beautiful angel not-angel who was originally intended to replace his cactus named Fred.





	Clock Hands

**Author's Note:**

> For this Dean has a summer birthday because why not.  
> The flower image is from the internet and I just thought it was nice, ya know?

Dean had never really been much of a plant guy. 

Rather than having a green thumb, he kind of had a... a mechanic thumb rather than a gardener's thumb. But Sam insisted that it was good to have at least one plant in his home because of oxygen or some sciency stuff like that. So that was why Dean was sitting on his bed, staring at this weird-ass plant because apparently having a cactus named Fred was not good company. The flower was actually quite beautiful with blue and goldish petals with tinges of red and more gold around it. The leaves were a dull green, almost black if Dean tilted his head right.

'So,' he began rather awkwardly. 'Sam seems to think talking to you, a plant, will be good for both you and me.' The flower, naturally, did not respond. 'I don't even know where he got you from, he wouldn't say. But I guess you're not bad company. I'm Dean, by the way. I'll be your roommate for as long as I can keep you alive. It probably won't be long 'cause i'm an awful gardener. A shame, really, you're really pretty.'

Dean rolled his eyes and put the flower on his bedside table. He rolled over, turned the light off and shut his eyes. He didn't notice the flower shimmering happily. 

 

'Someone's happy today.' Charlie noticed warily as Dean practically skipped into work, humming Metallica under his breath. 

Dean shrugged, pulling on his overalls. 'I just had a good night's sleep.' _With no nightmares_ , Dean thought to himself. 'Are we still on for my birthday tonight?' He asked, back turned but he could practically feel Charlie wince. The balloon in him popped as Charlie shuffled nervously.

'Erm, Gilda's dragging me to a convention in Nebraska.' Charlie said, coughed and stood quickly. 'I'm sorry Dean, please don't be angry.' She looked so scared, Dean couldn't help but not be angry. He had been told that his anger was a force of nature (thanks, Sam) so it was no wonder Charlie was agitated. 

'It's fine.' Dean waved her off. He gave a smile that fooled no one and scratched the back of his neck. 'Have fun with Gilda.' Before Charlie could say anything else, Dean went into the garage to fix Dick Roman's fancy ass car to try and take his mind off things.

It had been a tradition of theirs for years. Neither would exchange presents, but have a marathon of one series or another. For Charlie's last birthday, it was a Classic Who marathon with some of Dean's famous burgers. Dean had bought the limited-edition Classic Who box set for them to watch and then gave them to Charlie as a sneaky present by leaving them at her house. 

Benny had recently moved to New Orleans with his lady love Andrea who was nine months and ready to give birth any day, so Benny couldn't very well up and leave for Dean's birthday. Sam had a big lawyer case today, hence why he gave Dean's present the day before so he was out. 

Halfway through his lunch break, Dean was sat on the step to the back door of the main office when Bobby Singer, family just as much as Sam, walked over to him and cuffed the side of his head. 'Ouch! What was that for?' Dean demanded.

'What do you think you're doin' boy?' Bobby growled, plopping himself down next to Dean on the step.

'I was eating lunch.' Dean gestured with his sandwich. 

'I meant about your birthday! You're really gonna just let it not be celebrated?' Bobby huffed.

'What else can I do? You don't want to watch a whole Star Wars marathon with me! Everyone else is busy with real excuses so why should I be angry?' Dean stood. ' _Mary and John_ have made it very clear they don't want to talk to me.' He spat their names. 'I'll get back to work.' He threw his sandwich in the bin, no longer hungry, and went to deal with Dick Roman wanting his car back. 

 

Dean stomped into his apartment, slamming the door and throwing his coat onto the sofa.

He followed his jacket onto the sofa with a bottle of Jack Daniels and his phone in hand. It was something he did every holiday and birthday, whether it be his, Sam's, or his parent's. As an afterthought, Dean brought his new best friend (the flower Sam had bought him) into the kitchen and set it on the table. Dean dialed Mary and John's home number, once his home and waited for the voicemail message that came after only three rings. 

'Hi mom, dad. I just wanted to say that i'm sorry we left on such crappy terms but I don't regret my decision. I do miss you though. Sam says you recently got an extension on the house which must've been fun to install. Congrats on winning that baking prize, mom. You always did make the best pie.' Dean sighed and wiped his eyes. 

A knock at the door interrupted whatever Dean was going to say and he shrugged and got up to answer it still on the phone. 'Can I help you?' Dean frowned at the two men standing there.

'You seen this?' The one on the right held up a picture of the flower Sam gave him. 

'No, sorry.' Dean said and began to close the door.

The one on the left trapped his foot in the door and pushed it open. 'I think you're lying.' He snarled and pointed a gun at Dean who backed up. His friend went in search of the flower while Dean remained at gunpoint.

'Look, I don't know anything I-' Dean's protests didn't even reach the man's ears as he fired the gun, Dean's phone in hand. 

While Dean bled out, he hung up on his parent's voicemail and dialed 911, only for a large boot to come down and crack Dean's phone and hand at once. His vision began to tunnel, blood rushing through his ears so it was hard to tell whether the blood-curdling scream came from him or not.

His last sight was of the flower still sat on the kitchen table, flecks of Dean's blood decorated on its petals.

 

For an indeterminable amount of time, Dean drifted in and out of consciousness. He was vaguely aware that he was in a hospital, which made his stomach churn, but it made him wonder how he got there. The pain soon made him unable to care until he slipped back into a dark sleep.

When Dean finally woke with some form of clarity, he was utterly alone except for a doctor who was checking his vitals. 'Mr Winchester.' The doctor said with a relieved smile. 'You gave us quite a scare. Your vitals are good for someone who's been shot. How are you feeling?'

Dean swallowed in order to get some moisture in his mouth. 'Like day old crap.'

'Is the pain manageable?' 

He considered this and found a dull throbbing in his abdomen. 'I guess. I'm not gonna do any back flips anytime soon, but i guess i'm okay.'

'The police will be around shortly to ask you about who attacked you. If you need anything, just call for the nurse.' The doctor gestured to the button on the wall, gave a smile, then left. 

Dean sighed and laid back against his pillow, staring at the white-tiled ceiling. A sound at the doorway made Dean turn his head to see one of the most beautiful men he'd ever seen in his life. His dark hair was shiny and Dean was sure it felt like silk, his skin was a shimmering pale, his body lithe and his eyes were eerily familiar, but entrancing all the same. He looked like a real angel and Dean couldn't help but wonder if that was why he felt no pain.

'Hi.' Dean said, somewhat dumbly. 

The angel standing in the doorway smiled and the whole room lit up. He walked forward, slightly agitated in his posture. 'I'm Castiel.' His accent was slightly strange.

'Are you an angel?' Dean asked and Castiel frowned slightly.

'No. But I am yours.' The bright smile returned to his face and he sat down on the edge of Dean's bed and gently took his hands. 'You freed me.'

'What do you mean?' Dean asked warily.

'I was cursed by a witch, Meg, for not marrying her. When she finally died, all her belongings, including me, were sold on. I was bought by Sam who in turn gave me to you. My... my people believe in one mate for life and we know when our mate is near when our hearts glow.' Castiel said, tracing circles on Dean's hand.

'You're...' He shook his head. 'You're a glowing plant?'

Castiel chuckled. 'I was a glowing plant, yes. And we are soulmates. I'm sorry you were hurt because of me, but that's the only reason i'm here now. To break the curse, I had to be 'watered' by wrongly spilled blood.'

'How long was I asleep for?' Dean asked.

'Two days.' 

'Has anyone else visited?' Dean asked in a small voice. Castiel didn't answer, eyes averted. 

 

It was five years since Mary had called Sam in tears about Dean being shot, Sam only getting the message three days after the event because of work that was running him ragged. Sam had sped to the hospital, only to find Dean had signed himself out two hours earlier. He went on to Dean's apartment to find a puddle of blood, two separate piles of ashes and all of Dean's possessions worth anything to him gone. 

John, previously a marine, was able to find almost anyone if he tried hard enough. But Dean was one person he couldn't find. Both him and Mary were ridden with guilt, after two years of ignoring Dean's attempts to contact them out of spite, they finally realised what they truly valued. 

Mary and John had pressured Dean to marry Lisa, a girl whom he did not love nor wanted to marry. Finally, Dean revealed he was gay and left to work at Uncle Bobby's garage. Mary and John were furious and when Dean gave the explanation that Lisa had gotten pregnant after cheating on him, they thought he was lying. After Dean was shot, Mary asked Lisa whether Ben was Dean's or not and Lisa admitted that she did cheat on Dean and she regretted it.

Dean would be thirty two in three hours and Sam was determined to wish him a happy fucking birthday in person and invite him to his wedding with Ruby. Said fiancee was reading on her kindle next to him in bed, seemingly unbothered by Sam's growl of frustrations. 

'What's wrong, Sam?' She asked boredly.

Sam sighed. 'Dean sent me something if i ever wanted to find him but I can't decode it.' He showed her the paper with strange lines on them.

Ruby stared at them for a few seconds before she raised an eyebrow. 'They're clock hands.' She said simply before going back to her book.

'No they're not they're-' Sam stared at the paper for about ten seconds. 'Clock hands. What the actual fuck.'

Ruby shrugged. 'Standard code. Did you ever show it to your dad?'

'Yes! He just said that Dean's gone crazy!' 

After finally decoding the message Dean sent him, he found it led him to a honey farm in the middle of bumfuck nowhere. Sam kissed Ruby goodbye and got in his car, following the sat nav for ten hours until he finally came to the drive of the farm. 

He parked his car and got out, shivering slightly with the sun hidden behind some trees. Sam contemplated for a bit, remembering Dean wasn't really a morning person, and got in his car. He had seen an inn where they did food a few miles back.

A hearty breakfast and three cups of coffee later, Sam climbed back into his car and drove to the farm. In better light, Sam's breath was stolen by the sheer beauty of the farm. Wildflowers stretched for miles and benevolent bees buzzed around lazily in the warmth, in no particular rush. 

As he reached the farmhouse, soothing violin music reached his ears and Sam nearly cried. The last time his brother played violin had been before the whole 'Lisa' thing when Dean was genuinely happy. It was surprising to anyone who was told that Dean could play violin but they hardly complained when they heard what he could do.

'Sam?' A strange voice said and Sam turned to see a very beautiful, but very unfamiliar, man standing there with some empty jars. 

'Do I know you?' Sam frowned.

The stranger shrugged. 'In passing. You're here for Dean, aren't you?'

'Yeah.'

The stranger jerked his head and walked off in the direction of the violin music. Sam followed him to behind the farmhouse where Dean was sitting on a small dock by a wide river playing his violin. They waited for Dean to finish before the stranger spoke. 'Dean? Sam's here.'

Dean turned, mildly surprised. 'Took you long enough.' He grunted.

'I wanted to wish you a happy birthday.' Sam said. 'And invite you to my wedding.'

Dean's eyebrows rose. 'You're getting married?'

'Yeah. Remember Ruby from my pre-law class?' Dean nodded. 'That's her.'

'I'll leave you to talk.' The stranger said, gesturing back to the farmhouse.

'It's fine, Cas.' Dean assured. 'Why don't we all sit down and talk?'

 

Castiel poured them all some home made lemonade and sat down next to Dean closely. 'I'm Castiel, Sam.' He said and gave a little wave.

'How do you know me?' Sam asked.

'You introduced me and Dean.' Castiel said, as if it were obvious. At Sam's confused look, Castiel explained everything with Dean's help.

'So... you're a flower and I gave you to Dean then Dean got shot by some maniacs and then you turned back into a human?' Sam frowned.

Dean rolled his eyes. 'Well, when you say it like that, it sounds crazy. But yeah.'

'I'm not exactly human.' Castiel interjected. 'There's no real name for what we are. We... predate the history books.'

'So why were some maniacs hunting you?' Sam asked.

'My kind are dangerous if used wrongly.' Castiel said carefully. 

'So you left to hide Castiel?' Sam asked.

'Partially.' Dean shrugged. 'No one really seemed to care so I left.'

Sam tried to hide his hurt look. 'The fact that you thought I didn't care about you is a little insulting, so we're just going to move that aside for a moment. But I recently remembered something from the news. A big, underground cult dealing in 'ancient' things and wacky beliefs were recently dug up and imprisoned.'

'Was this cult called the Men of Letters?' Castiel asked and Sam nodded.

'They're originally from England.' Sam said. 'So you probably won't have to deal with them again.'

Dean opened his mouth to reply but the sound of someone pulling up outside made him stop. Castiel frowned at the window. 'Your parents are here.' Dean turned and glared at Sam who raised his hands.

'I didn't even know they were coming here too! I didn't even tell them!' Sam protested. 

Castiel stood and went to the door. He opened it and it revealed John about to knock on the door, Mary behind him. 'Dean! We've been looking all over for you!' John said with relief in his voice. 

'How did you find me?' Dean asked quietly.

'I put a tracker on Sam's car.' John admitted, somewhat guilty. He noticed Castiel and his expression hardened. 'Who are you?'

'He's my husband.' Dean said, drawing attention from his parents back to him. 'We had Bobby and Anna be our witnesses.'

'Bobby knew you were here?' Sam said, hurt.

Dean rolled his eyes. 'I sent him the same message. He just decoded it five years before you.' 

Sam grumbled something about 'clock hands' but Mary spoke over him. 'Dean, honey, we're so sorry for pressuring you so much. And for not being okay with you being you.' 

They all stood in somewhat awkward silence and Castiel crossed over to stand next to Dean and laced his hand with Dean's. Castiel seemed to communicate with Dean silently, who nodded reluctantly. Castiel turned back to Sam and Mary and John. 'Would you like to stay for lunch? I'm making fajitas. But I'm still not sure what they are.'

John shrugged. 'I'd love to, but fajitas make me gassy.'

'EEEWWWW!' Sam protested, covering his ears. 

Dean winced. 'Things you don't want to know about your father, eh?'

Mary merely sighed. 'John, will you ever stop teasing them?'

Castiel smiled, leaning against Dean who wrapped an arm around him. 

He had originally thought he'd never have a family again, being stuck as a plant, but looking at this somewhat broken family? Castiel couldn't ask for more.

**Author's Note:**

> I kind of imagine Cas's voice sounding somewhat like the Cosmi Entity's for some bizarre reason. I swear, there is method to my indecipherable madness. I just have to find it first.


End file.
